The Haunted Garden

Witness: Emma
Location: Cornwall, England, UK
Date of Encounter: June 27, 2005

While on holiday in Cornwall with my Mum and her friend I saw a sign for a ghost walk when we visited the artist's paradise of St. Ives. As we weren't staying far away, my Mum and her friend agreed to come back later with me. Mum's not into ghosts, but her friend who lost her husband two years ago in an accident, does to a certain extent.

Now I went on a ghost walk in London once and it was stories being told and actors dressed up, but this was nothing like it. As we walked around the town it was quite blustery and occasionally there was a light drizzle, but it wasn't that cold. Our guide encouraged us to listen and tell him of any experiences before he told the stories so when the odd person told him of things we were amazed to find out how they were connected to local hauntings.

In the middle of the town was a small paved garden with a couple of benches and some plants. Our guide told us that if we were willing he would like us to stop and close our eyes in the garden and tell him what we felt — he said he would wait on the other side of the road.

I did as I was asked but couldn't hear anything — it was silent, and I just presumed that it was because the other 12 people in the tour group were quiet. All I felt was an ice cold gust of wind that hit the left side of my face blowing my hair in front of my face which was a bit strange as my hands weren't cold.

My mum laughed at me when I opened my eyes so when we were asked to tell the guide of our impressions I listened with amazement as a man claimed he thought he heard children laughing, but he wasn't sure as it could have come from the car radio of a passing car. Another woman said that like me all she had heard was silent. Our guide stroked his beard thoughtfully and told us of a young woman whose youngest son of 8 died of cholera — she and the surviving children would come to this garden and to mourn him. A few months afterward, she died herself.

The guide told us that he had a daughter of the same age and so he wouldn't stay in the garden but people on previous tours had told him of hands tugging at skirts and one woman, who said she was psychic, said she could see children running around. I didn't see or hear anything else that I thought out of the ordinary on this tour but a couple of others did.